Shuffles
by Ron4
Summary: Summer has had a stuffed bear named Shuffles since she was eight. She can't remember who had given it to her, but when Marissa reminds her, Summer is surprised. [Two Parter FINISHED SethSummer Undertones]
1. Summer's Gift

Shuffles  
  
Chapter One: Summer's Gift  
  
-August 12th, 1995-  
  
The bold, bright letters read, "You're invited to... Summer Roberts' birthday party!!!" Seth reread the card. He couldn't believe it! Summer Roberts was the girl of his dreams. And he was invited to her birthday, which was.... He checked the card again. Tomorrow night!  
  
He saw Summer, who was handing out the invitations at that very moment. He hurried over to her. She was giving one to her best friend, and Seth's neighbor, Marissa Cooper. "Hi, Summer," he said.  
  
"Hi, um... Scott," she said quickly, then went back to talking to Marissa.  
  
"His name is Seth," Marissa told her.  
  
"So? As if it matters. Anyways, as I was saying-" she began, but Seth cut her off.  
  
"Uh, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to say thanks for inviting me to your party." He held up the invitation, as if proving to her that she gave him one.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. My mom said I had to give one to everyone in the class. You don't have to come, you know," she said. "Unless you bring a present, then I guess I wouldn't mind if you came."  
  
Seth was too excited to say anything. He hurried back to his desk and sat there in a daze for the rest of the day. He was going to Summer's party.  
  
-August 13th, 1995-  
  
The day of Summer's party, Seth dressed up in his nicest blue jeans and his best button-up plaid shirt. He wanted to look perfect for Summer. He gripped her present tightly. To make sure it was wrapped perfectly, he had his mom do it, so the corners weren't puffy and there was enough paper.  
  
He looked at the brightly colored wrapping on the box. He hoped she liked the present. He didn't know what eight-year-old girls liked, but he thought that a teddy bear would be nice. It was dark blue, and had the cutest face he'd ever seen on a teddy bear. He really hoped she would like it.  
  
He heard a knock on the door. He knew it must be Marissa. Her parents couldn't drop her off at the party, but since Seth was going, Mr. Cooper had asked Seth's mom if she could bring Marissa, too.  
  
"Hi, Jimmy. Hi, Marissa, come on in. Seth's in the living room, if you want to go play until it's time to go," he heard his mom say from the door. She continued talking to Mr. Cooper, while Marissa came into the living room.  
  
"Hi, Seth," she greeted, sitting next to him on the couch.  
  
"Hi," he said nervously. Her arrival meant that they were going to be leaving soon. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Summer. He hoped he looked okay, and that his present was good enough.  
  
"What did you get her?" Marissa asked, pointing at Seth's present.  
  
"I'm not supposed to tell anybody what I got her," Seth said. His mom told him that it was best not to tell anyone what the present was, in case they told and ruined the surprise.  
  
Marissa shrugged. "Okay. I got her some board games. Girl Talk, Mall Madness, and a Ouija board."  
  
"Cool," Seth said, still nervous.  
  
"Seth, Marissa! Ready to go?" his mom called from the door. Mr. Cooper must have left. Seth wasn't ready. Marissa jumped up and hurried to the front door. "Seth!" his mom called again. He slowly followed Marissa to the door.  
  
His mom drove them there, and dropped them off at the driveway, some five minutes later. She drove away, and there was no going back. Seth had to go inside with Marissa. "Come on, Seth," Marissa said. She was already at the door, ringing the bell. Mrs. Roberts answered it, and Seth hurried up to meet Marissa.  
  
"Hello, Marissa. And who might this handsome young man be?" she asked, referring to Seth.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Roberts. This is Seth Cohen," she introduced.  
  
"Well hello, Seth," she greeted. Seth returned the greeting.  
  
She led them to the living room, where most of the other kids were already waiting. Summer ran up to them. "Marissa!"  
  
"Hi, Summer," Seth said.  
  
"Scott," she said.  
  
"Seth," he corrected.  
  
She ignored him, and instead said, "Ooh, presents!" She took Marissa's three packages, and Seth's small one, and put them on a table with the rest of the gifts. She came back and dragged Marissa off to see something that her parents had already given her.  
  
Seth sat down on a couch, alone. He didn't have to wait long, because soon the cake was brought out, and they sang "Happy Birthday" to Summer. Seth sang the loudest, and Summer gave him a dirty look. They ate cake and ice cream, and before Seth knew it, it was time for presents.  
  
She opened a few, including Marissa's, before she got to Seth's. "Ooh," her father said as she opened it. He was videotaping the event. "Who's it from, sweetie?"  
  
"I don't know," she said, and ripped it open eagerly.  
  
"What'd you get?" her dad asked.  
  
"A teddy bear," she said, showing the camera. She tossed it into the pile with the other stuff, excited to get to another present.  
  
"What do you say, Summer?" her step-mom chimed in.  
  
"Thank you to whoever got me that," she sighed, rolling her eyes.  
  
Seth was hurt.  
  
-August 14th, 2004-  
  
It was the day after Summer Roberts' 17th birthday. Yesterday, she had thrown her usual party, a big blow out with alcohol, and drugs, and sex. Summer only drank - she wasn't into drugs. But she was getting tired of the parties she had. Sure, she was a party girl, but that got old, sometimes.  
  
She was glad to just be lying on her bed, cuddling with her favorite stuffed animal. She looked at the plush object in her arms. Shuffles. That was his name, Shuffles. She remembered getting him for her eighth birthday party, but she didn't recall from whom. He was the cutest stuffed bear she'd ever seen, and she told all of her secrets to him, all of her fears. Even now she did that. He was the only one who could listen and not give her bad advice, or laugh at her, or make her feel guilty.  
  
A few years back, she had watched the videotape of that party, trying to figure out who gave her the present. It didn't show anyone giving her the present, just her putting it on the table with the rest of the gifts.  
  
Maybe she should check again, maybe she missed something. It was her favorite thing now, and her most prized possession. She needed to know who had given it to her.  
  
Downstairs in the entertainment room, she found the old tape on the movie shelf. She hurried back upstairs, the tape in one hand, Shuffles in the other. Once in her room, she pushed the cassette into her VCR.  
  
The tape started, and there were lots of kids yelling and playing. After a while, the camera moved to the piles of presents as Summer set four packages down. Three were wrapped in the same pink wrapping paper. The fourth was smaller and was wrapped in blue.  
  
She fast-forwarded until the little Summer was unwrapping the gifts. She pushed play again, when her younger version began to open the three pink presents. They were board games. Summer remembered that those were from Marissa, because she still had them, and every once in a while, they'd still play one of them.  
  
Next came the blue gift. It was Shuffles. Wait... she had set that present down with Marissa's. And she knew that Marissa hadn't gotten her the bear. Frowning in curiosity, she rewound the tape. Near the beginning, the screen showed Marissa walking in with a boy. She couldn't see his face though; his back was to the camera. He must be the one who had bought her the teddy bear.  
  
She watched the tape in its entirety. The boy was hardly seen again, because the camcorder had mostly been situated on Summer. When he was seen, his face was never visible; he was always turned away, had someone in front of him, or something else to veil his appearance.  
  
She ejected the tape and dialed Marissa's number. After two rings, Mr. Cooper answered. "Hi, Mr. Cooper. Is Marissa around?"  
  
Jimmy got his daughter for Summer, and Marissa soon picked up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Coop. It's me. Do you remember my eighth birthday party?"  
  
"Um...." she thought.  
  
"The one where you got me the Ouija board and those other games," Summer reminded her.  
  
"Oh, right. Yeah, I remember bits and pieces."  
  
"Do you remember who got me Shuffles?" Summer asked.  
  
"No, I've told you that."  
  
"Do you remember who you came to my party with?"  
  
"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?" Marissa replied.  
  
"Just answer," Summer told her eagerly.  
  
"Seth Cohen." Summer's jaw dropped. That freak that was obsessed with her had given her the best gift she'd ever received. The only gift she still used ever single day had been given to her by Seth Cohen. 


	2. Seth's Gift

Shuffles  
  
Chapter Two: Seth's Gift  
  
-August 15th, 2004-  
  
It was a day after Marissa had revealed the giver of Shuffles, and Summer was still in slight shock. Seth Cohen, who she hadn't even remembered inviting to her party, had gotten her Shuffles.  
  
Wait, that wasn't true. She did remember inviting him. Her stepmother had made her invite everyone in her class. And Seth was in her class when she was eight.  
  
Summer looked at Shuffles. He used to have soft, fluffy fur that was a dark, midnight blue. Over the years, being handled virtually daily, the teddy bear lost its rich color to a lighter hue, a duller blue. The fur wasn't as soft and had been worn down in places.  
  
There was even a patch of fur missing from the back of its head, which Summer had ripped out when she was about ten. She had gotten mad at her stepmother and took it out on Shuffles, ripping a small chunk off. She felt guilty for the poor bear and cried over it for a while. After that, she had attempted to sew thread into the missing patch to fill it in, but all that caused was a few limp strings that dangled there.  
  
Summer lifted up Shuffles' foot and rubbed the velvet pad. Each foot and hand of the bear had one; a small, blue velvet circle that took place of the fur. The one Summer was rubbing, however, was off-colored and hard, a small hole partially formed there. It had been when she was thirteen, and she had her "boyfriend" over. He thought he was cool, with his expensive Zippo (which Summer was convinced he had stolen from his father) and empty pack of Marlboro Lights. Summer knew that he didn't smoke, and the pack had probably been something he rummaged from the trash of his dad's study or found on the ground.  
  
He had teased Summer, holding Shuffles above the Zippo's flame. "Robert, put him down!" she had demanded. He grinned slyly, and tried to toss the bear to her. Somehow, though, the small, sewed-on tag had caught on his pinkie, and Shuffles fell downward. His foot had caught fire, and Robert stomped on it to kill the small flame. He had saved Shuffles from extensive damage, but Summer had dumped him right then and there.  
  
Summer sighed. There were memories in this bear. Memories of her family, her friends. But none of the one who should be remembered. There was nothing in Shuffles that reminded her of Seth. Seth had never been her favorite person, but despite what everyone thought, she didn't hate the dork. And, after all, he had been the one who had given her the plush.  
  
Her fingers traced the bear's face. His thread mouth, his soft fabric nose, his marblish eyes. Shuffles' eyes weren't black, like on most teddy bears. They were chestnut.  
  
Chestnut. Summer recalled drawing a picture of Shuffles with her big 96 box of Crayolas when she was eleven. She had used perfect colors for everything, but she left his eyes for last. She had tried Brown, but it was too plain. She had tried Bittersweet, but it was too pinkish. Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, and Tan were too light. Mahogany was too red. Sepia and Copper were too woodsy. And Indian Red was the last brown shade she had.  
  
She had almost broken into tears when it was too light. Her perfect picture, a waste. But when she pressed harder, the color was ideal: a dark, warm brown with the perfect reddish accent. Indian Red wasn't exactly what Summer wanted to call the bear's eyes, it wasn't a good enough name. And when in the next year, 1999, when they changed the name of Indian Red to Chestnut, Summer was pleased. Chestnut was the perfect name for Shuffles' eyes. So she had found the picture, and with the Indian Red/Chestnut crayon, had scrawled "Chestnut Bear" across the previously untitled picture.  
  
Seth's eyes were reminiscent of the bear's. How Summer knew what color Seth's eyes were was beyond her. But she did know, and Seth's eyes were almost exactly like Shuffles'. The only difference was that Seth's eyes were real; they contained real warmth and compassion. Not that Summer knew anything about real compassion.  
  
The picture of Shuffles was tucked away in some old childhood book that was in the attic. The paper was probably slightly yellowed with age and covered in dust. But, no doubt, the vibrancy of the eyes would melt Summer's heart to this day.  
  
Seth's eyes never melted Summer's heart like the bear's did. Why? Maybe because Summer didn't have a wall up with Shuffles. She never let anyone past that wall, save for Shuffles, and she never came from behind that wall. She never let herself see a guy's good side, especially after Robert, and how he tried to ruin her most favorite object.  
  
Most guys were jerks anyway. They wanted one thing from a girl, and one thing only. Summer had learned the hard way. Actually, after Robert, there had been one more guy that she had slowly begun to let in. His name was Sullivan, and he pretended that he loved Summer. Just to get into bed with her. He had been her first, and her only. They had slept together around a dozen times before she figured out that he didn't really love her and he really didn't care.  
  
But maybe Seth could be different. Seth was... well, a dork. And he was innocent, at least from what Summer had seen. He was the type of guy that could be sweet, but Summer was still skeptical. After all, she had never been in a loving relationship. With anyone. And she was afraid.  
  
She was afraid of what could happen if she started something with Seth. But, a nagging voice in the back of her head said, maybe you're afraid of what you'll miss if you start something with Seth. Summer didn't want to listen to the voice, but maybe, just maybe, the voice was onto something.  
  
She hugged the bear. Her phone rang. Grudgingly, she picked it up with a "hello?" It was Marissa.  
  
"Hey, Sum." She cleared her throat. She did that when she was keeping something back.  
  
Summer rolled her eyes. "Okay, you cleared your throat. What is it that you aren't telling me?"  
  
"Well, uh... Ryan and I are going to the beach, on a date, and, Seth, well..."  
  
"Needs a date," Summer guessed.  
  
"He was asking if you'd be willing to go with him," she confirmed.  
  
"I don't know if I'm ready for a commitment," Summer said.  
  
"Commitment? Summer, it's just one date."  
  
"One date can lead to a commitment. Remember Sully... Sullivan? I just need some time. Seth... I guess I don't hate him as much as everyone automatically thinks I do. I just need to get to know him."  
  
"You could use this as an opportunity to get to know him," Marissa offered.  
  
"Marissa," Summer said.  
  
"Okay, okay. You just need time. I get it. At least let him know that," she responded. There was a long pause. "So we're going to go now. Talk to you later."  
  
"Bye," Summer replied, and hung up.  
  
At least let him know that, the voice in her head echoed.  
  
Summer sighed. There was nothing left to do, but that. She got up, Shuffles in hand. She had an idea.  
  
* * *  
  
The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Seth called, and walked to the front door. There was nobody there. He frowned. Weird. Before he turned, though, he noticed a large, cardboard-colored envelope on the doormat.  
  
Seth picked up the manila envelope. Inside was a single sheet of drawing paper. His brow furrowed in curiosity as he inspected the paper. It was a drawing of a blue bear. He knew that bear.  
  
Underneath the picture were the words "Chestnut Bear," scribbled in the same color crayon as the bear's eyes. And underneath the title (in the same color, but much more tidy) was the sentence "When I'm ready."  
  
Seth looked around once more. When you're ready, I'll be here, he thought. Seth shut the door.  
  
End 


End file.
